"Forget it, Jake. It's Chino Town."

I seem to have smartened up a little of late. This is, of course, relative; I still practically never wear shirts (they remind me of my old job in the City), and proper leather lace-ups never grace my feet. Nonetheless, I've taken to a smarter look, with plainer clothes that are well-cut, rather than the old graphic T/cardi combo (though I'm sure that'll be back come the summer). I'm dressing more cleanly, and this is evident in my embrace of the chino. It's not exactly revolutionary, I'll grant you that, but then The Staple has never been about revolutionising; it's a document of my evolving wardrobe, and the ways in which I wear it, rather than a blog all about designers and the industry. That's what magazines are for, no? Anyway. Chinos. I have three pairs that kind of fall under the chino banner. The first pair are an old pair of Helmut Lang's I picked up in a closing down sale in Nottingham about 6 years ago, for a tenner. They then lay in the back of my wardrobe, unworn for years, surviving cull after cull until I dug them out this summer and decided that straight cut cream jeans are actually wearable. The next pair are ASOS cargo trousers, in a carrot fit. I'm still unsure about the 'carrot' trouser shape; I love the slim fitting legs, but the low crotch and baggy arse is unflattering to say the least. That said, they do look modern and are perfect for duffing around Shoreditch in - also it's an unusual novelty having pockets on one's knees. Not that I've filled them with 'cargo' at any stage, but they add detail to what might have looked like a faintly rubbish pair of trousers. Only problem is that I've managed to get oil from my bike chain on the hem of one leg. Ah well. I still wear them, the oil kind of hides in a fold, and it doesn't bother me hugely. The final pair are gorgeous. Neatly tailored, slim-cut and made from a luxe cotton, these Filippa K beauties were picked up (like a lot of the nice things in my wardrobe) from the Liberty sale. I've worn them a few times for work, and they are as comfy as they are smart, with the added bonus of being terribly flattering to the derriere. They're actually my ideal trousers, and I expect to wear them for most of LFW. So yeah, not exactly groundbreaking, but I've definitely moved away from the blue jean lately, and as my black jeans seem doomed to fading and untimely/unsightly rips, it looks like I'll be in Chinotown for awhile yet. Other Staples this week:
Pentel rollerball pens
Tartan scarves
#boozefreeFeb
The Jamie XX/Gil Scott-Heron album
Orange Capri-Sun
Green & Black's dark chocolate with cherry
Blue APC desert boots (Totally living in these beauties at the mo)

A Short Story

I realised recently that despite owning several pairs of shorts, I more or less only wear my blue denim cutoffs. With that in mind, and an epic cycle from Holloway to Greenwich planned, I decided to make myself a new pair. I popped into New Look near work on my lunch break, and grabbed a pair of ten-pound grey jeans. While in front of T4 on Saturday morning, I decided to get to work so I could wear them that day. And document the process, so that my lovely readers can make their own pairs (and thus save £20 on some from Topman). It took me 10 minutes, and all I needed was a pair of scissors.

First, take a cheap pair of jeans:

Next, cut them off just below the knee (for best results cut both legs):

Then fold the raw edge upwards:

Tuck the raw edge into the next fold to create a neat, narrow cuff; fold as high as you like, but with each fold, the width of the leg becomes tighter on the thigh. If necessary, lop another inch off the hem and re-fold:

Et voila! A bargainous pair of practical denim shorts, for the price of a tenner, some scissors and 15 minutes in front of the telly:


Give it a try, it's easy, cheap and VERY much worth it come the summer. I'm off on my holidays next week, and I'll be changing into these on the plane, for a cool arrival in the Med. And they work pretty well for urban-wear too...Other Staples this week:
Homemade denim cutoffs
The Crown Tavern in Farringdon
Glastonbury coverage on the BBC
Lazing around on Blackheath
A lovely, unhurried dinner on St. Christopher's Place, at Paradiso
My fabulous new interweb-phone, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic
Looking forward to having an actual holiday!

This Could be Denim for Everyone

Back on track, hopefully. March was an oddly fruitful month for purchases, but best of all, and very much needed, was a new pair of jeans. After posting about these way back in January (I think), I managed to bag a new pair of Acne denims, from the label which is fast becoming one of my Staples, Moc Raw in the delicious indigo denim that you see above. I've worn them pretty incessantly since receiving them a couple of weeks ago, and they are fantastic. Quite stiff, but exceptionally comfortable, and so well-made that they could well be making an appearance at the British Museum (or the Swedish Museum even) in a few thousand years. I bought a pair a little too large for me, to account for shrinkage when, eventually they get washed. Looking at the washing instructions, this may not be for a few months, or ever if I follow the advice over at Oki-Ni. They're also brilliantly long, so I've double turned-them up and the looseness is a nice (dare I say a little more grown-up) antidote to skinny jeans (which I couldn't imagine wearing now),a nd worn with a tailored velvet jacket, or checked harrington, they look pretty damn good. Aside from avoiding 'white clothed people and furniture', these jeans are totally perfect, and a worthwhile replacement to the fake Diesels from Thailand which are now well and truly 'worn-in'. Best of all, they were a bargainous £38.50 from the brilliant Daniel Jenkins, whose online shop is filled with delights from Acne, Peter Jensen, Raf Simons, YMC and other such lovely labels; I urge you to have a look. Other Staples this week:
Acne straight-legged jeans; a more relaxed silhouette
The Field Live@Berghain mix
Friday Night late at the Natural History Museum
Getting back on the bicycle
Thomas Pynchon's novel 'V'
Getting a Bestival ticket; Space-themed this year...
The Social on Little Portland Street